Bookmarks - Shaber the next guest on Prologue

Published: Saturday, November 10, 2012 at 12:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, November 9, 2012 at 12:42 p.m.

February 1943 was "one of the coldest winters in Washington history," said mystery writer Sarah Shaber, but in some ways, it was a very good time to be in the nation's capital.

In a local restaurant, you could order a plate of oysters and Norfolk ham for 95 cents, "with either coffee or beer," Shaber noted. "Coffee was pretty hard to come by." There was a war on, after all.

Beef was almost impossible to find, for the same reason, but you had your choice of seafood, chicken or turkey.

Shaber has to know such things because World War II Washington is her sleuthing ground. The Raleigh resident has written two novels so far, starring fictional Wilmington native Louise Pearlie, who worked her way up from the local shipyard to a clerk's position at that new federal agency the OSS. (For those not historically inclined, that was the predecessor to the CIA.)

"Louise's War" came out last year and is now available in Kindle. Its follow-up, "Louise's Gamble," is out in hardback, and will get its Kindle edition in December.

Shaber will be talking about "Louise's Gamble" when she comes down Monday for Prologue, the monthly book club for the StarNews and public radio station WHQR. (She was supposed to be the guest in July, but heavy thunderstorms kept her from driving to the Port City.)

She'll answer readers' questions beginning at 7 p.m. Monday in the WHQR studios, upstairs at 254 N. Front St. Admission is free, and refreshments will be served.

"People are always asking me how I do my research," Shaber said. To find out what was happening in Louise's District of Columbia, she pores over day-by-day copies of The Washington Post, plus old editions of Life magazine, Time and Newsweek.

"You can find all these things on eBay," she added.

She also scans vintage maps and period menus, which is how she knows the price of oysters.

Shaber laughs and says she's proceeding "very slowly" on a new Louise Pearlie adventure. This one will center on the Chesapeake Bay and will involve a mysterious postcard that censors believe might be carrying a coded message.

Quite a few notable women were OSS clerks, Shaber noted, such as future food writer Julia Child (as documented in Bob Spitz's new biography "Dearie"). "People thought that was all women could do," Shaber said, "and then they found out how competent they were."

The character of Joan, a pal of Louise's in the novel, is loosely based on Child, she added.

<p>February 1943 was "one of the coldest winters in Washington history," said mystery writer Sarah Shaber, but in some ways, it was a very good time to be in the nation's capital.</p><p>In a local restaurant, you could order a plate of oysters and Norfolk ham for 95 cents, "with either coffee or beer," Shaber noted. "Coffee was pretty hard to come by." There was a war on, after all.</p><p>Beef was almost impossible to find, for the same reason, but you had your choice of seafood, chicken or turkey.</p><p>Shaber has to know such things because World War II Washington is her sleuthing ground. The Raleigh resident has written two novels so far, starring fictional Wilmington native Louise Pearlie, who worked her way up from the local shipyard to a clerk's position at that new federal agency the OSS. (For those not historically inclined, that was the predecessor to the CIA.)</p><p>"Louise's War" came out last year and is now available in Kindle. Its follow-up, "Louise's Gamble," is out in hardback, and will get its Kindle edition in December.</p><p>Shaber will be talking about "Louise's Gamble" when she comes down Monday for Prologue, the monthly book club for the StarNews and public radio station WHQR. (She was supposed to be the guest in July, but heavy thunderstorms kept her from driving to the Port City.)</p><p>She'll answer readers' questions beginning at 7 p.m. Monday in the WHQR studios, upstairs at 254 N. Front St. Admission is free, and refreshments will be served.</p><p>"People are always asking me how I do my research," Shaber said. To find out what was happening in Louise's District of Columbia, she pores over day-by-day copies of The Washington Post, plus old editions of Life magazine, Time and Newsweek.</p><p>"You can find all these things on eBay," she added.</p><p>She also scans vintage maps and period menus, which is how she knows the price of oysters.</p><p>Shaber laughs and says she's proceeding "very slowly" on a new Louise Pearlie adventure. This one will center on the Chesapeake Bay and will involve a mysterious postcard that censors believe might be carrying a coded message. </p><p>Quite a few notable women were OSS clerks, Shaber noted, such as future food writer Julia Child (as documented in Bob Spitz's new biography "Dearie"). "People thought that was all women could do," Shaber said, "and then they found out how competent they were."</p><p>The character of Joan, a pal of Louise's in the novel, is loosely based on Child, she added.</p><p><a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic14"><b>Ben Steelman</b></a>: 343-2208</p><p>Ben.Steelman@StarNewsOnline.com</p>